The purpose of diet sodas is clear, to replace the sugar in normal sodas with a synthesized sugar substitute such as aspartame to give the drink a similar taste and contain zero calories. The purpose of drinking a diet soda would be to eliminate the calories you would normally intake from a regular soda and thus cut back on your daily calorie intake, in turn losing weight. The problem is that instead of losing weight, medical researchers have determined that drinking diet soda may actually lead to obesity. A study done by
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio states:
"The study of more than 600 normal-weight people found, eight years later, that they were 65 percent more likely to be overweight if they drank one diet soda a day than if they drank none. And if they drank two or more diet sodas a day, they were even more likely to become overweight or obese."
If drinking diet sodas does increase the chance of obesity in a user than it is completely counter-intuitive to drink diet sodas. It is better to drink regular soda in moderation. While both have their downsides, regular soda has been shown to actually be a healthier alternative to diet soda, defeating the entire purpose of even having a diet soda. Companies such as Pepsi and Coca-Cola are trying to trick their customers into believing they can lose weight and drink the sodas they enjoy, but this is nothing more than a ploy by the soda industry to keep customers.
-Pros
*No sugar or calories
*Low sodium
*Zero carbohydrates
-Cons
*Possible increase in weight
*Tastes worse than regular soda
*Larger number of preservatives
*Negative effects on the liver, kidneys, and other organs
*No nutritional value
*Contains carbonic acid which is bad for the intestines
*Artificial sweeteners are metabolized as carbs which can cause long term health problems
*Increase in hunger/cravings for sugar
*Potential cancer risks
*Tooth decay
If you value your health it is safe to say that you should stay away from diet sodas, and carbonated drinks in general. Just like all things, it is okay in moderation, but it is when you let your soda addiction get out of control that you become a high risk for health complications and obesity. Always remember, if it sounds to good to be true, then it probably is.
